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    Intensifiers

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    Militaru Luminita
    This document discusses the use of intensifiers to strengthen adjectives. It provides examples of common intensifiers like "very", "really", and "extremely". It also discusses using "enough" after adjectives. Additionally, it notes that some strong adjectives do not typically use "very" as an intensifier and instead use words like "absolutely" or "completely". Finally, it discusses intensifiers used with comparatives, superlatives, and some adjectives functioning as intensifiers themselves.

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    Intensifiers

    Uploaded by

    Militaru Luminita
    29 views5 pages
    This document discusses the use of intensifiers to strengthen adjectives. It provides examples of common intensifiers like "very", "really", and "extremely". It also discusses using "enough" after adjectives. Additionally, it notes that some strong adjectives do not typically use "very" as an intensifier and instead use words like "absolutely" or "completely". Finally, it discusses intensifiers used with comparatives, superlatives, and some adjectives functioning as intensifiers themselves.

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    This document discusses the use of intensifiers to strengthen adjectives. It provides examples of common intensifiers like "very", "really", and "extremely". It also discusses using "enough" after adjectives. Additionally, it notes that some strong adjectives do not typically use "very" as an intensifier and instead use words like "absolutely" or "completely". Finally, it discusses intensifiers used with comparatives, superlatives, and some adjectives functioning as intensifiers themselves.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    29 views5 pages

    Intensifiers

    Uploaded by

    Militaru Luminita
    This document discusses the use of intensifiers to strengthen adjectives. It provides examples of common intensifiers like "very", "really", and "extremely". It also discusses using "enough" after adjectives. Additionally, it notes that some strong adjectives do not typically use "very" as an intensifier and instead use words like "absolutely" or "completely". Finally, it discusses intensifiers used with comparatives, superlatives, and some adjectives functioning as intensifiers themselves.

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    Intensifiers

    Level: intermediate

    We use words like very, really and extremely to make adjectives stronger:

    It's a very interesting story.


    Everyone was very excited.
    It's a really interesting story.
    Everyone was extremely excited.

    We call these words intensifiers. Other intensifiers are:

    amazingly particularly
    exceptionally remarkably
    incredibly unusually

    We also use enough to say more about an adjective, but enough comes after its adjective:

    If you are seventeen, you are old enough to drive a car.


    I can't wear those shoes. They're not big enough.

    Intensifiers with strong adjectives

    Strong adjectives are words like:

    very big enormous, huge


    very small tiny

    very clever brilliant

    very bad awful, terrible, disgusting, dreadful

    very sure certain

    very good excellent, perfect, ideal, wonderful, splendid

    very tasty delicious

    We do not normally use very with these adjectives. We do not say something is very
    enormous or someone is very brilliant.

    With strong adjectives, we normally use intensifiers like:

    absolutely really
    completely quite
    exceptionally totally
    particularly utterly

    The film was absolutely awful.


    He was an exceptionally brilliant child.
    The food smelled really disgusting.

    Normal and strong adjectives


    Intensifiers 1
    Intensifiers 2

    Be careful!

    Level: advanced

    Intensifiers with particular adjectives


    Some intensifiers go with particular adjectives depending on the meaning of the adjective:

    I'm afraid your wife is dangerously ill.


    The engine was dangerously hot.
    The car was seriously damaged.
    Fortunately none of the passengers was seriously hurt.

    Some intensifiers go with particular adjectives. For example, we use the intensifier highly
    with the adjectives successful, intelligent, likely and unlikely:

    He was highly intelligent.


    She’s a highly successful businesswoman.

    but we do NOT say:

    We had a highly tasty meal.


    That is a highly good idea.
    Be careful!

    We use the intensifier bitterly with the adjectives disappointed, unhappy and cold:

    I was bitterly unhappy at school.


    We were bitterly disappointed to lose the match.
    It can get bitterly cold in winter.

    You need to use your dictionary to find which nouns these intensifiers go with.

    Intensifiers with particular adjectives 1


    Intensifiers with particular adjectives 2

    Level: intermediate

    Intensifiers with comparatives and superlatives

    We use these words and phrases as intensifiers with comparative adjectives:

    much a great deal


    far a good deal
    a lot a good bit
    quite a lot a fair bit

    He is much older than me.


    New York is a lot bigger than Boston.

    We use much and far as intensifiers with comparative adjectives in front of a noun:

    France is a much bigger country than Britain.


    He is a far better player than Ronaldo.
    We use easily and by far as intensifiers with superlative adjectives:

    The blue whale is easily the biggest animal in the world.


    This car was by far the most expensive.

    Intensifiers with comparatives and superlatives

    Level: Advanced

    Adjectives as intensifiers

    We use some adjectives as intensifiers with nouns:

    absolute perfect
    complete real
    total utter

    We say:

    He's a complete idiot.


    They were talking utter nonsense.

    but we do NOT say:

    The idiot was complete.


    The nonsense they were talking was utter.

    Adjectives as intensifiers 1
    Adjectives as intensifiers 2

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